Back Yards Can Look Like Wildlife Refuges

July 30, 2001|By MICHAEL HINES Daily Press

Hampton Roads residents don't have to look far for wildlife. They just need to go to their back yards.

Along with the occasional deer, bear and raccoon, people will find a strange crop of critters calling manicured lawns and trimmed trees home. The reason isn't that difficult to understand: Humans have it made.

"Wild animals need basic things, and if you can provide these basic things, you're going to see them," said Chris Lewis, director of education at the Virginia Living Museum. "People are inadvertently supplying these needs."

Bird baths and sprinklers are animal magnets--moving water is a lure. Big trees and miscellaneous items can provide shelter.

Urban areas and suburban expansion continue to eat away at natural habitats, so many animals either opt to move and need a nightcap in Joe Public's yard or make themselves permanent residents. Actually, that can be a good thing, Lewis said.

"By creating little spots within an urban area, you're providing an opportunity for them to survive," she said.

For the animals, it means having a hospitable environment and resources. There are perks for humans, too.

Many critters are fascinating to observe, Lewis said. Beyond that, they control pests. Brown bats, for example, can eat as many as 600 mosquitoes per hour, she said.

But the animals should not be thought of as pets, Lewis said. Be cautious: Just because the animals may be cute doesn't mean they're cuddly.

"The important thing to do is enjoy them without interfering with them," Lewis said. "Just feel lucky you had the opportunity to observe them."

Animals that residents might find include:

GRAY TREE FROG

Description: Greenish or brownish to gray, with dark blotches on back. Rough skin and large toe pads. May have a dark-edged light spot beneath the eye. The undersurface of thighs is bright yellow- orange.

Habitat: Trees and shrubs near permanent water.

Food: Crickets and worms

Fact: The gray tree frog is nocturnal. They descend from trees only at night to chorus and breed.

ROUGH GREEN SNAKE

Description: Pea-green with a slender body and a long tapering tail. Belly is white to yellowish green.

Habitat: Vines, bushes and trees near water.

Food: Grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars and spiders.

Fact: Rough green snakes are good swimmers and may take to the water when disturbed.

BIG BROWN BAT

Description: Chestnut brown with small, leathery, black and hairless ears. Underparts are paler than the back. Wings are short and broad.

Habitat: Hollow trees, attics, barns, caves and underground mines.

Food: Night-flying insects including beetles and wasps.

Fact: The big brown bat is nocturnal and hibernates during winter months.